Seal latch



oct. 9, 192s. 1,687,083

E. A. CONAWAY SEAL LATCH Filed May 22, 1926 2 Sheds-Sheet l 34 z 5,4. ow/AWAY BY @n 270W Arron/@vs Oct. 99 1 E, A. CONAWAY SEAL LATCH Filed may 22- 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7J M W.

Patented Oct. 9, 1928.V

' UNITED STATES;

ERNESTA. coNAWAY, or LITTLE, Boex ARKANSAS.

l f SEAL LATCH.

Application filed May 22, 192e. serial Nuo. 110,956.

' This invention relates generallyto latching devices for doors and similar closures, but more particularly to seal latches adaptedffor use in connection with the sliding doors of railway freight cars and the like.

The invention has for its object the provision ot a seal latch Ywhereby the sliding door ot av railway freight car may vbe latched in closed or partially opened position. f

A further object ot the invention is to provide a seal latch wherehy'two levers are utilized and so joined together by a bell crank lever arrangement pivotally secured to the sliding door of the railway freight car that a powerful fulcrum is secured to torce said door into closed position as well as to pry said door away from its closed position, this being accomplished in connection with a keeper firmly affixed to the jamb of the door rand with which said levers are adapted ytoY cooperate. I

A Jfurther object ot the invention is to provide a simple and highly efficient seal for et. ectively sealing the seal latch without the use of adie or other special tool, and which,

whensealed, cannot be opened without rup` turingrory puncturing the seal in a manner such that the mutilation is plainly visible.

yINith the Aforegoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement ot parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying draw# ings, wherein is shown the preferred emhodi ment of the invention. However, it is to he understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. I is a plan view of my improved seal latch with the sliding door in closed position,

showing in dotted lines the door in partially' opened position.

Fig. II isa plan view .similar toV Fig. I but with the latching ,levers detached from the keeper.

Fig. III is a top lplan view, partly in sect tion, of my improved seal latch.

Fig. IV is a cross-sectional view taken on line IV-IV, Fig. III, showing the-keeper and the latching levers in latch/ed position.

Fig. V is a detail front sectional View taken on line .V-V, Fig. IV,of the keeper and the latching' levers in locked'position. Y

Fig. VI is a cross-sectional view taken oni lines VI-'VL Fig. II.

Fig. VII is a perspectiveview of one ofy my improvedcap seals with flange.. ,Y i

Fig. VIII'is a. view of another/form of cap seal of disk shape. y i i In the drawings my'V improved'- latch Vis shown as comprising keeper l, securely attached` to freight car door jarnh A,'and se-l curing elements 2 and The keeper coinprises a cylinder, orbarrel, ll'pre'tera'bly made integral with a base plate 5, vThe cylinder and base plate may be made of any-desired material possessing theirequisite strength.' Ap -l erturesare provided inthe base'plate 5 forthe purpose of securing the plate tothe jamb'A by means of suitable'bolts as shown at 6.

The base plate 5.* is provided o neend with alhollow boss having anopenvertical' side wall'S. As'shown-.inF ig. V, the opening 8 does not extend vcompletely to thetop wall of the boss 7, but terminates short thereof. An integral lip 9 of substantial thickness is provided at thehottom said opening 8 vnear the cylinder t, which, together'witha projection or lip (see Fig. I II),also-. of substantial proportion, formed on the inside'ot one of the walls ot said opening S.y serves as a keeper for the lever member 3. The boss 7 is'further provided with an aperture 11 which pro-V vides a communicating `channel between the interiorof the cylinder .t and the interior of the hollow boss 7. f I* f The cylinderfl is made hollow, as clearly shown in Fig. IV, and the lower portion is cut away to permit the insertion and withdrawal of one end of the lever Imember 2. The interior wall ot the cylinder` i is yformed either' at ,the time of casting the piece .or by machine processes later, with'an-arcuate upper por- The substantially straight verticalside walls 13 and ,145 which are cut away 4as at 2O to .orm shol/ ilders v15 extending from the :rear wall` of the cylinder parallel to the axis thereof "to i a point adjacent to but short of the front wall 17 of the cylinder. Two of the .shoulders 15 are provided, one on either side of the axis of the cylinder and slightly above the same. Immediately below each of the shoulders 15 and in the planes of the walls 13 and 14, respectively, lugs 18 are formed (see Fig. VI arciiate faces 19 which serve to `connect the inner vertical side walls 13 and 14 with the cut-out portions 2O thereof, and in reality form cont-inuations of the Vshoulders 15 with whichthey are adapted to functionally co operate in a manner to be hereinafter described. The forward wall 17 of the cylinder is provided with an axially positioned aperture 21 which providesmeans for the insertion of an operating tool (not shown) for the purpose of manipulating a latch member carried by the free end of the lever 2.

The levers 2 and 3 hereinbef-ore referred to are generally of the pivote'd hooked-end type and may be formed of any suitable material having the requisite strength. The main lever 2y is provided at its pivot end with a boss 22 to which is secured, prefer ably integrally, a bell-crank arm 23 which is adapted to pivotally support the lever 3 Y which is in the plane of the lever 2. `To

3 is pivotally attached through said `bell-` crank to the lever 2, which latter lever is this end a pivot pin 24 is provided in one end of the bell-crank 23 by which the lever pivotally -mounted uponl a base plate 25 by means of a suitable bolt 26. rIhe base plate 25 is secured to the door B by bolts 25a. The lever 3 is provided with. a hooked end 27, as shown in Fig. II, and a tapered side projection or hook 28 at the same end where the lhook 27 is located, as seen in Figs. III and IV. These hooks 27 and 28 are adapted to enter the opening 8 in the side wall of the boss 7 and cooperate with the lip 9 and'projection 10 therein provided.

The main lever 2 is formed with a hooked end 29 which is tapered on one side toward its end, as seen at 30 in Fig. IV, and is adapted to contact with the tapered face 31 on the hook 28 on the lever 3, as also shown most clearly in Fig. IV.

An open-ended hollow stud or housing 32 is formed on the lever 2 at the endcontaining' the hooks 27 and 28 and the axis of which is substantially perpendicular to the Vplane of the lever and parallel to the pivV otal axis thereof. The wall of the stud or housing 32 is longitudinally slotted at 33,

ing and confining a pair of pins 34 carried The lugs 18 are formed with lowerk by and projecting radially from a blocl or plunger 35 housed within the hollow stud and adapted to reciprocate therein. rIhe block 35 is urged into an extreme outward position by means of a coil spring 36 housed within the stud behind the block, said Vblock being retained within the housing and limited in its forward movement by the end walls of theslots 33 adjacent the forward end of said block 35. It is apparent frointhis construction that the pins 34 projecting'radially from the block 35 through the slots 33 will engage the end walls of the slots which thus determine the range of reciprocatio'n of the block withinthe stud or housing 32. Itis tobe notedthat the radially projecting vpins- 34 extend beyond the outer wall of the studv a substantial. distance, yand the purpose of this construction will'presently bedmade apparent.

rlhe sides of the pins 34 adjacent the lugsV 18 are preferably slightly rounded so as to insure their riding freely over the lugs 18. 'lhe out-er or free endv of the main lever v2 is further provided with a shield or guard 37, preferably of substantially' the same diameter as the cylinder 4 and extending for-v wardly of the plane of the lever 2 a distance' in F igQ II, the car door` B will .be pulled tightly against'the door ja'inb A when the levers 2 and 3 arejlocated in theleeper 1. `When the bolt 2G is in the other end of the slot/40, as shown in dotted lines in'Fig. I, the car door B will be permitted vto remain partially open (for Ventilating purposes)v in the when the levers 2 and 3 are secured lreeper.

41 andv 42 are llugs formed on the levers v2 andl 3 near their free ends, said lugs vbeing outwardly turned and apertured as at 43 (see Fig. III) for the purpose of having an additional locking element to engagesaid if such be desired. 44 is an ordinary grip iron to assist in opening and closing the sliding door B;

In the application of my invention to the sliding door of an ordinary railway freight car, the base plate 25 carrying the'levers y 2 and 3 is secured to the sliding door 'B by means of the bolts V38. fis shown in Figs.

I and II, the pivot pin 26 of the lever 2 is I extended only through the raised portion v39 of the base plate 25. The constructionof ing purposes.

this base plate is of sufficient strength to insure this bolt or pin 26 being very securely retained in position. The keeper 1 is mounted on the jamb ot the door by suitable bolts 6 and in a position such that when the door Bris closedV the levers 2 and 3 maybe operatively associated therewith, and in the positioning ot the pivot pin yor bolt 26 shown in dotted lines in Fig. I the doork B may beA lett ina slightly open position for ventilat- Assuming the invention to have been mounted as just described, the door is latch'ed by ifirst guidingthe lever 3 into the opening'S of the boss 7 as the door B is being vmoved to its closed posit-ion. By vvirtue ofthe bellcrank 23 and the spacing ofthe levers andkeeper, the hooked end of the lever 3being inserted in the keeper and caught by the lip 9, the upward movement ot the lever 2 acts as a i'ulcrum to slidetlie door B tightly into its closed position when the parts are mounted,v

as shown in full lines in Fig. l. As just stated, the hooked end 27 of the lever 3 drops behind the lip 9 and is securely retained in said keeper in saidlip in the primary instance. Vhen the lever 3 is in the yposition just described within the keeper 1 the main lever 2 is then brought into the position rshown f* in full lines in Fig. Iv by swinging the same about its pivot pin 2", so that it may enterY the hollow 'cylinder 4. from below.' Upon entering` the end ot the lever into said cylinder the slightly rounded sides ot the projecting pins 34 "are carried by the `recipiocable i block 35 engage the cam surta'ces 19 of the lugs 18, andV due to the camm'mg actionA tak-VA ing place between the lugs and' the pins the resist-ance of the spring36 is overcome and the block 35 is forced or 'retracted within the stud 32, thusV allowing the endyotI the levei` 2 to move within the hollow cylinder 4. llien the pins 34 reach the ends of the cam surfaces 19 of the lugs 18 the end oit the lei ver 2 drops completeiy within the cylinder 4,v

the pins 34 engaging theshoulders 15 and be'- ing in this position clear of the cani lugs 18, the spring 3G comes into play and forces theL block 35 forwardly. thus bringing thepins 34 beneath the overhanging portions of the4 lugs 13. The depending lug 29 carried at the extremity of the down-turned end ot the lever 2 enters the channel 11 in thev top wallv ot the cylinder and cams against the tapered end or' the lever 3, as shown most clearly in lV, causingthe projectionl to Vengage the lip and thus securely hold said lever 3in` locked position. lt is to be'notedv that tlieshoulders within the cylinder 4 are so positioned as to bring the stud 32 into actu-v al alinement with the cylinder 4, the open end'k of said stud registering with thejopenmg 21 in the front Awall ot the cylinder 4. lt will thus be seen that the lever 3 can only bereleased by .first releasing the mainilever 2, andY that the latter can yonly be released by retracting tliebolt 32 suilic'ientl'y to allow the pins 34 to clear the overhanging portions of the lugs 18, which maybe accomplished by introducing a suitablev instrument `-into the keeper through the opening 21 thereof.l

In order to prevent anunauthorizedopen-y ing of the latclnor to prevent itsfbeing opened andrelocked without visible evidence there-y of, a seal is'provided preferably in the form ot' a sheet metal cup-shaped disk which, as sliownin Fig. VII, maybe embossed or otherwise provided with the name or initials ofthe railroad company. rI `liis sealis provided with a lip 46 apertured as shown,

whereby the seals may bep-serially numbered vand threaded onta wire ory other suitable derially numbered relationship, through the 1 apertures formed when theprojections 49 are stamped out, and said seals 47 Ymay likewise lieY employed in vtheir respectively lserially numbered rotation. Either typeof seal, prior to the closing or locking of the main leverV 2, is fittedover the forward open 'end of the stud or housing 32 (see-Fig. IV), it'being apparent that sufficient clearance is provided between the end ofthe stud 32 and the inner face of the front 'wall 17 ofthe 'cylinder4 to l permit the lever 2 to 'be thensnapped into place as above described. When the lever 2 is in its latched position and firmly seatedr within the `'keeper 1,`the shield or guard 37 carriedby said lever functions to completely close thelower part of the keeper, as clearly shown vin Figs. I, IV 'and' V. It is therefore apparent that the cylinder 4, the guardA 37 and tlieseal 45 (or 47) completelyfenclose thelocking mechanism of the lever 2, which lever must, from the construction ofthe de` vice,be released beforefeither the lever 3'01 thedoor B of thecar may be 'opened' The levers, keeper, cylinder and Vguard being ofV heavy 'and ruggedA construction and the latcliing mechanismbeing completelyv cnclosed'thereby, the only means of opening the latchwithout entirely destroying the same is by way of theopening 21 in. the front wall of Vthe cylinder 4and this, as hereinhe-` tore set `forth, is vobstructedby a seal of the type like thatshown in either Fig; VII-'or Fig. VIII. f i

y The block 35 and spring '36 `are retained inposition in the hollow stud v32 by the plate 50, which-is securely retained in position by the screws 51. 53 is a handle the operationV of theV lever 2.

tofacilitate l In view of this fact the front face of the cylinder immediately surrounding the opening 2l is beveled as zit-2l(l so that the seal disk, which is preferably made of bright sheet metal of non-rustible character, will be plainly visible `and in striking contrast to the dark cast or forged metal of the latchcylinder. By this construction the least mark or evioence of tampering with the latch is plainly visible, thusrendering a minute or careful examination unnecessary to discover an unauthorized attempt to open the car.

As hereinbefore stated, the lever 2 having been snapped into position within theV keeper l with a seal disk mounted upon the outer end of the stud 32, the only means of opening the latch is by way of the opening 2l in the disk seal. To this Aend the disk seal is madel of tough but relatively thin, penetrable sheet metal and the members of the train crew and other personsy authorized to open the cars are provided with sharp pointed instruments whereby the metal of the disk may be penetrated, the block 35 depressed or retracted sufficiently to vmove the pins 34s clear of the lugs I3, and the latch then opened in a manner obvious from the previous description.

If desired the usual switch keys carried lby the train crew Vmay be provided with a sharpened extremity, or any other suitable instrument cap-able of being used for this purpose may be employed if desired.

When .it Y is desired to open the sliding freight car doorB the lever 2 is released as above described, and when it is moved downwardly it acts through the bolt 26 and the bell-crank arm 23 to exert a powerful leverage through the lever 3 against the keeperI l and thereby forces the car door open several inches.

From the foregoing description it isr apparent that the levers having beensnapped into place and sealed either of the levers mayl be broken between the keeper and their pivot pins without releasing the other or allowing the door to be opened. Furthermore, while the lever 3 is merely a pivoted hooked end lever with nomeans of itself to rperform a locking function, the lever 2 and the keeper 'l common to both levers are so formed that when the levers are in position within the keeper the tapered'lug 29 carried by the lever 2 engages the tapered hooked end 23 of the lever 3, locking said hooked end 28 behind the lipl 10, thus rendering the release of the lever 3 impossible until the main lever is released,

yetv the construction employed is such that either of the levers may be used separately and independently of the other vif desired. It is also to be noted that by providing the cylinder with an arcuate bottom and the bolt 2 with a cylindrical stud or housing 32 adapted to cooperate with the arcuate bottom, means is provided which allows a wide range of relative movement of the car parts with which the latch is associated without interfering with the operation of the same.

I claim:

l. In a device of the character described,

a keeper, two levers adapted to engage said keeper, a support for said levers a'ttached'to a sliding freight car door, said support comprising a base plate provided with means whereby said levers may bel pivotally supported at different points on said base plate, substantially as described.

2..In a device of the character described,

a keeper, two levers adapted to engage said keeper, a support for said levers attached toV a sliding freight car door, said supportv comprising a base plate provided with a slot wherebysaid levers may be pivot-ally supported upon said base plate at dilferent points in said slot, substantially as described.Y

3. In a device of the character described, a keeper', two levers adapted to engage said keeper, a support for said levers attached to a sliding freight car door, said support comprising a. base plate provided with an irregularly shaped slot whereby said levers maybe pivotally supported upon said base plate at different points in said slot, substantially as described. l

4.. In a device of the character described, a keeper, two levers adapted to engage said keeper, one of said levers being provided with an inclined projection at its free end adapted to engage an inclined projection on the free end of the other of said levers when said levers are engaged with said keeper,"

and a pivoted support for said levers, substantially as described. f

5. Ina device of the character described,

a keeper, two levers adapted to engage said keeper, one of said levers being provided with a projection at its free end adapted to engage a` lip in said keeper, and another projection having an inclined surface alsov at the free end of said lever, said projection being adapted to engage anotherlip in said keeper, an inclined projection at the free end of the other of said `levers adapted to engage with the inclined face on the last named projection ofthe firsty named lever when said levers areengaged Vwith said'- keeper to retain the 'first named lever in locked position in said keeper, anda pivoted support for said levers, substantially as deadditional locking device for retaining said scribed. levers in locked position, and a vpivoted sup- 7. In a device of the character described, a port for said levers, substantially as de-y l keeper, two levers adapted to lockingly enscribed. 5 gage said keeper, a lug intermediate the free In testimony thatI claim the foregoing I end of each of said levers, each lug being hereunto aix my signature.

' provided With an aperture for receiving van ERNEST A. CONAWAY. 

